QBI presents a seminar with Dr. Rafael Couñago, Research Associate Professor in the Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry within the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

Talk Title: Leveraging Open Data and AI Models to Accelerate Chemical Probe Discovery for Target 2035

Dr. Couñago is a protein biochemist and structural biologist with over 20 years of experience investigating protein–ligand interactions, structure–activity relationships, and the molecular mechanisms underlying target modulation. His research integrates chemical biology, structural approaches, and mechanistic biochemistry to elucidate the function of disease-relevant proteins and uncover new therapeutic opportunities. Throughout his career, he has developed and optimized recombinant protein production systems, as well as a broad suite of biochemical, biophysical, and cell-based assays to support ligand discovery across diverse protein families—including kinases, ion channels, metabolic enzymes, and transcriptional regulators.

A central focus of his work has been the identification and optimization of tool compounds and chemical probes to study understudied or novel targets. He collaborates closely with medicinal and computational chemists to identify hits, refine ligand properties, and explore structure–activity relationships. These efforts have led to the development of selective chemical probes for various kinases and chemogenomic compound sets for poorly characterized protein kinases.

More recently, Dr. Couñago has contributed to hit-finding campaigns that integrate DNA-encoded library (DEL) screening with machine learning to prioritize and optimize ligands. Particularly relevant to this application is his work establishing robust protocols for the recombinant expression and purification of active DNAJ–PKA complexes. His deep expertise in kinase biochemistry and structural biology will directly support the proposed project’s success, enabling the discovery of novel DNAJ–PKA ligands suitable for targeted protein degradation strategies.